2010 Asian Pacific Americans Corporate Survey of 2,000 Fortune 500 Asian Pacific American Employees Identifies Best Practices and Recognizes Best Company in Four Categories of Corporate Development

Second Annual Diversity Leadership Forum on May 17 to Examine Best Practices in Global Diversity, Inclusion, and Leadership for the Asian Pacific American Corporate Community; highlighted by the Best in Class Corporate Diversity Awards

(New York, May 5, 2010) – Asia Society continues its mission to bridge Asian and American relations through business, politics, education and the arts, with a strong foothold in the leadership development of Asian Pacific American employees at Fortune 500 companies through the 2010 Asian Pacific Americans Corporate Survey and Diversity Leadership Forum – to be held May 17 in New York.

Asia Society’s 2010 Asian Pacific Americans Corporate Survey, the first survey to exclusively measure the corporate success of Asian Pacific Americans in Fortune 500 companies, answers the question on how companies create an inclusive workplace that promotes Asian Pacific Americans to corporate leadership positions. The Survey and Report will also recognize best employers from the Fortune 500 in four categories:

· Overall Best Company for Asian Pacific American Professionals to Work For;
· Best Company in Promoting Asian Pacific Americans to Develop Workforce Skills;
· Best Company for Support of the Asian Pacific American Community; and
· Best Company in Promoting Asian Pacific Americans into Senior Leadership Positions.

“Asia Society is working to help develop leadership skills in Asian Pacific Americans throughout corporate America,” said Vishakha Desai, President of the Asia Society. “Our survey report, to be released May 17, is a key building block in helping to understand best practices in developing Asian Pacific Americans as leaders at Fortune 500 companies and should serve as a guide for companies in managing successful diversity and inclusion programs.”

The top company in each category will be announced on May 17 at the conclusion of the Asia Society’s 2010 Diversity Leadership Forum, an all-day interactive conference on Best Practices in Global Diversity and Leadership.

Asia Society’s effort was led by its Corporate Relations team, the Corporate Diversity Council and Chairman Circle member, Bernadette C. O’Connell in collaboration with Questar, an independent research firm. Questar reviewed submissions from 2,000 participants from Fortune 500 companies across the United States to identify where Asian Pacific Americans are positioned in the corporate ladder by seniority and job type, and which corporations promote employee growth and development and help their Asian Pacific American employees in developing best skill sets to contribute to corporate profits. An awards committee comprising Linda Akutagawa (Senior Vice President, Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics Inc), Subha Barry, Philip Berry (President, Philip Berry Associates LLC), Ted Childs (Principal, Ted Childs LLC), and Dinyar Devitre (Trustee Asia Society), are selecting the four Best Companies from the list of 10 Finalists.

“As a corporation committed to helping clients build a Smarter Planet, it is essential that IBM provides opportunities for Asia Pacific Americans to become leaders in our workplace,” said Ron Glover, IBM vice president, Diversity and Workforce Programs. “The Asia Society, through its survey, its forum and its leadership initiatives, has always been a partner with IBM to ensure that talented people from the APA community grow personally and professionally within our company."

The report will be released on May 17, 2010 at the Diversity Leadership Forum. The Forum is hosted by Credit Suisse and brings together CEOs, senior leaders and decision-makers from Fortune 500 companies to discuss cutting-edge strategies related to leadership and career development, including managing a globally diverse workforce in the U.S. and Asia; cultural fluency; and promoting Asian Pacific American corporate leaders.

The event: Monday, May 17, 2010, at Credit Suisse, One Madison Avenue, New York City from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm. The Best in Class Corporate Awards ceremony and reception is from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. To register for the Forum, visit www.asiasociety.org/diversityforum. To learn more about the Survey and Report, contact ncombs@asiasociety.org. For questions and sponsorship opportunities, contact diversityforum@asiasociety.org or 212-327-9269.

To arrange coverage, including pre-event interviews, contact us at pr@asiasoc.org or 212-327-9271.

The Asia Society’s Corporate Diversity Council – made up of Chief Diversity Officers from Global 500 companies – has made a commitment to provide platforms like this forum to discuss and examine the keys to building corporate leadership and address the critical importance of cultural fluency and managing a diverse workforce.

About the Asia Society Asia Society is the leading global and pan-Asian organization working to strengthen relationships and promote understanding among the people, leaders and institutions of the United States and Asia. The Society seeks to increase knowledge and enhance dialogue, encourage creative expression, and generate new ideas across the fields of arts and culture, policy and business, and education.
Founded in 1956, Asia Society is a nonpartisan, nonprofit educational institution with offices in Hong Kong, Houston, Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Mumbai, New York, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, and Washington, D.C.
Asia Society is on the web at www.AsiaSociety.org.

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